Informational Interview

By: Aaliyah Goff

Business

• Darren Kataja- Senior at the Kenan-Flagler Business School

• Bill Kingdon- Student in the Masters of Accounting (MAC) Program

Finance- Darren Kataja

• Fell into the finance, and economic side of business

• Looking to do consultant work or market research related to financing

• Was very interested in these aspects of study which led to this career goal

Finance- Darren Kataja

Pros:

• An environment that is challenging and competitive, but supportive

• Satisfaction from being in a prestigious program

• A lot of group work

• A lot of your skills are taught to you

Finance- Kataja

Cons:

• Groups can be uncooperative

• It’s a hard program

Finance-Kataja

Advice:

• Make sure to take care of your grades and your prerequisites

• Be ready and willing to learn

• Knowledge of Excel is helpful

• Start investing your time in reading news related to finance

Accounting- Bill Kingdon

• Undergraduate degree in the Classics: Ancient Greek and Latin Languages and literature from New College of Florida

• Student in the Masters of Accounting (MAC) Program

• Audit Associate at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

Accounting- Bill Kingdon

Pros:

• 97% of graduates have full-time jobs

• Pays very well (six figures within three years)

• Accounting jobs can be very flexible

• Hones your analytical and interpersonal skills

• You can come with virtually any major

Accounting- Bill Kingdon

Cons:

• A lot of work that requires good time management skills

• Groups can be hard to coordinate with

Accounting-Kingdon

Advice:

• Know how to work excel

• Take classes through the Business School

• Take internships in accounting